Ip Man 2
2010 · Directed by Wilson Yip
Original language: cn
- action
- history
- drama
The story
Having defeated the best fighters of the Imperial Japanese army in occupied Shanghai, Ip Man and his family settle in post-war Hong Kong. Struggling to make a living, Master Ip opens a kung fu school to bring his celebrated art of Wing Chun to the troubled youth of Hong Kong. His growing reputation soon brings challenges from powerful enemies, including pre-eminent Hung Gar master, Hung Quan.
What it’s like
Warm amber interiors and grey, rain-slick Hong Kong streets give this period martial arts drama a worn, postwar texture, with the camera staying close and steady through crowded tenements, dim school halls and open courtyards. The fight scenes are shot wide and uninterrupted so the footwork and body mechanics stay readable, and the impacts land with sharp, percussive slaps and thuds over a sparse, mournful orchestral score that swells only at moments of pride or grief. Its vibe is earnest, sinewy and quietly proud, the mood of a long Saturday afternoon with the rain still falling outside. The pacing alternates between slow domestic scenes of a father struggling to feed his family and bursts of controlled, brutal combat, and the emotional arc follows a dignified man learning that his art means more when it is shared with the people who need it most. Violence is frequent and physical, with punches, kicks and staged brawls that are intense but bloodless, and there is some verbal cruelty and a few tense standoffs. It suits viewers who want stirring, sincere martial arts with a strong sense of place and family, rather than gore or gritty realism.
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